Faculty voting on strike today through Wednesday

Monday

Nov 12, 2012 at 12:01 AM

Association of Pennsylvania State College and Faculties members will start voting today on whether to strike, despite making some progress during their most recent contract negotiations with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

CHRISTINA TATU

Association of Pennsylvania State College and Faculties members will start voting today on whether to strike, despite making some progress during their most recent contract negotiations with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Voting will last through Wednesday and will be tallied on Friday, said Ken Mash, vice president of the state faculty union and ESU chapter.

The votes will be pooled, not tallied on an individual university basis.

If a majority of faculty members approve the strike, the decision then goes before the 14 union presidents who represent each of the universities, Mash said. Out of the 14 union presidents, 10 must approve the strike.

Representatives of the faculty union and PASSHE last met on Friday.

One of the biggest issues with PASSHE's proposal was that it would cut the salary of part-time temporary faculty members by 35 percent, APSCUF officials said.

The latest proposal from the state system would instead freeze the current salary levels for part-time temporary faculty.

That freeze would last for the duration of the new four-year contract, Mash said.

For all other faculty, including full-time temporary members, PASSHE has proposed pay increases of 1 percent each in 2012-13 and 2013-14 and 2 percent in 2014-15.

PASSHE's latest offer also included modifications to its managed health care plan to align it more closely with the plan offered by the Pennsylvania Employee Benefits Trust Fund, which covers more than 80,000 employees, including about one-third of all PASSHE employees.

The revisions would produce premium cost savings for PASSHE and PASSHE employees covered by the plan, said a press release issued by the state system.

The offer also includes a one-time reopening of the Voluntary Retirement Incentive Program that PASSHE offered to all employee groups approximately two years ago.

"APSCUF refused to allow its members to participate in the program when it was first offered; all other employee groups took part, producing annual savings to the State System of approximately $10 million," the press release said.

"PASSHE is still asking for far more concessions from us than the governor asked from anyone else," Mash said.

The new proposal continues to increase out-of-pocket health care costs for active members and to restrict physicians' discretion in prescribing medications. Current employees would receive reduced benefits and pay increased costs for retiree health care, said a statement released by APSCUF.

Compensation for teaching distance education courses would also be discontinued, APSCUF officials said.

"Our goal is always to avoid a strike. We want a fair contract, but apparently they won't respond unless there is pressure," Mash said. "We will do what we have to do, and if that's go on strike to make a point, we will do that."